Help our Wildlife During this Time of Fire Devastation

The current wildfires in California – the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire – are the worst in the state's recorded history. As of this post, 50 people are dead. More than 200,000 acres have burned, and 9,000 structures have burned. In the Santa Monica Mountains, 83 percent of all National Parks Service land has burned.

Wildlife obviously has been, and will continue to be, impacted by this devastation.

The message in the graphic with this post has been shared on social media – seemingly a commonsense idea. But yesterday, the East Bay Times updated an article from last year quoting a representative from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who said, "In a wildfire, you should let the animals take care of themselves. It is detrimental to put food and water out for them because then they become dependent on people."

Obviously, the bunny in the photograph, a victim of the Woolsey Fire, needed a helping paw.

I disagree with the wildlife rep. and find the response short-sighted and rote in the current situation. Extraordinary crisis would seem to call for extraordinary response, particularly when you factor in that today the Santa Monica Mountains are virtually an "island," that is, animal movement into and out of the area has been severed by some of the busiest freeways in the country. And on the west side, there's the Pacific Ocean. The stories of small animals who dare attempt to cross a multi-lane freeway, and fail, don't make the news. But the stories of mountain lions who have tried and failed are many.

According to the East Bay Times report, "Animals that can flee quickly — such as birds, deer, bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes — scatter at the first sign of flames. They instinctively know how to survive and where to find a water source."

While that may be true for animals who have somewhere to escape to, that's not the case for the Santa Monica Mountains. I would hope Fish and Wildlife would reconsider their hands-off approach and create watering holes in this area for the short-term to aid the animals in this crisis, which is not natural. As well, I'd hope those living in the area would assist with water tubs, just on a short-term basis.

It seems just common sense.